Avatar: The Newcomer
by CRAZY-SUMMER
Summary: A month after the Gaang's victory against Firelord Ozai, a new group arises from the shadows. The only way to defeat them is to find the hidden link. Claira doesn't live in the Avatar world, and soon finds herself there, in a new place. Romance   Humor
1. The Strange Figure

Avatar: The Newcomer

~The Next Series in the Avatar Saga~

_**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender. **_

_**Warning: Contains spoilers of the actual series, if you haven't seen them and wish to, and the mentioning of real people in our world, and nations/places in our world.**_

_**Another Warning: At first, you'll think it's just a story I'm trying to show to you by putting it in the Avatar place, getting attention. But read on, it's certainly a Last Airbender Fan Fiction. **_

_**I'd really like you to comment and tell me what you think. (::**_

_**Thanks, and enjoy the story**_

_~Claira~_

I've never thought of myself as lucky. Although I wouldn't say I'm unlucky, either. As a matter of fact, I've always been quite satisfied with my life. I'm not perfect, nor am I terrible. I'm in the crossover of the two, where I belong. I was given to the world in New Jersey, in a place you may recognize as Livingston, on a beautiful sunny morning. It was June fourteenth, 1994. I lived there happily until I was four years old, we moved, and my baby sister was introduced to the world. My parents named her Grace. She was more beautiful than I was. She was thinner, she had shining golden locks, and big, bright blue eyes with luscious lashes. She was incredibly social, which led her to popularity beyond my imagination.

Me, I'm a bit of an outcast, as far as they go. Of course, I have friends, I have a great big group of friends, from different cliques as well as different countries. I shouldn't have used the word outcast- I realize this now. But I've never been the most appreciated in my school. I live in a town called Colts Ferry. It's a wealthy town in Central Jersey, near the shore. I love the beach, I've loved it since I was a little girl. Sometimes, me and my mother would walk down the boardwalk together, and fly kites. Afterwards, we'd eat ice cream at the Pavilion and listen to music played by amateur bands. To me, this was the life. It was my life, and I loved it. I still live it today.

Now, I'm not going to complain, although I used to be a bit of a whiner in the past. I admit I've had a pretty awesome life. My parents are together, and happy about it. I have a little sister who loves me, although it gets on my nerves all the time. I'm not ugly, and I'm not beautiful. I'm a bit more than the middle, and I love myself. I'm an artist, and I'm extremely talented. I'm curvy and have flawless pale skin, although I'm only 5"2. I have a puppy named Peaches, and I'm already applying for college. I'm in all my AP classes, and my IQ is supposed to be higher than most by a long shot. I'm special, that's my opinion about myself. I'm not very social, but I'm perfectly fine that way.

It's difficult to make friends where I live. The town has a small population, of the rich, snobby, and, well, _the old. _Through the years I've managed, living in a medium sized house. I love my family, I love my friends, I love my life in general.

I wanted it to stay exactly the way it was, forever.

I walked into the corridor of the school, eager for my first day of Senior year in high school. I had made it into a great art school, and things were looking up for me. You see, I used to be overweight, until eighth grade, really. I ate- A lot. I lost the weight when I was thirteen years old. When I was 12, however, you didn't see it, since I held me stomach in. Now it isn't necessary. The problem was, all my friends, and people I'd grown up with remembered me as the pudgy little girl, who was weird and giggly. Yup, that was me.

Continuing with the story, I walked in the school as I mentioned before. I spent my day enjoying new classes, meeting new friends, and learning new things. The standard events taken on by a new day of school. When I arrived home, I did everything that I needed to do, and welcomed the soft, warm bed that awaited my exhausted body. The moment I hit the sheets, I was out like a light. I slept well, with great dreams, and great thoughts. Everything was going perfectly. My life was coming along in a fabulous manner.

The next week of school went perfectly, as planned. I'm quite positive that I found a new admirer, a boy in my grade who was certainly easy on the eyes, those glittering green eyes… I grew to like him, even find him attractive, that boy Mark. And over time, Mark became my boyfriend. We were inseparable as a couple. We loved each other like it was the only love that would ever exist, or at least, that was how I felt about him. We'd go to the beaches together, hold hands and take in the sun's rays. It was my first relationship, and I was blinded by love and passion. I was so sure he loved me as well, he must've. There was no way to be sure, but I didn't have a doubt in my mind.

Fall passed quickly, things were even better by the end of the day. I was almost popular, it felt as though I knew everyone in the entire school. I'd never been in this status before, I'd never known so many people. I'd never been happier in my entire existence, this was the way it was meant to be, I was sure of it. I smiled at the thought on one warm autumn evening, and closed my eyes, feeling the soft breeze gently graze me rose colored cheeks.

Little did I know that I was dead wrong.

I walked on the pier, the air becoming quite frigid in the shore. What was to expect? Winter was fast on it's way to the coast, and Jack Frost certainly had some cold plans for the year, it obvious. The weather channels had all predicted a lot of snow, and some temperatures that I wasn't too pleased about. I've always been one for warm and somewhat tropical weather. I still wish that palm trees would exist in New Jersey. But never the matter, things went on in a lovely matter. I enjoyed everyday I got, I thought of it as a gift. I was sure that Mark was the one I was destined to be with, my forever boy.

I wrapped my arms around my tiny torso, after pulling my hood over my head to avoid the low temperature. It didn't matter now, however. I was going to surprise Mark at the beach. He'd said that he had to go to help for charity, and I thought I'd be a magnificent girlfriend by giving him a little kiss and assisting him in his great duties for humanity. I was loopy with love, and to me, he was the perfection I'd always craved for my own selfish reasons. He was _mine. _I was sure it would stay that way, I was so positive.

I ran onto the beach, seeing two figures in the distance. They were nearing close to each other. I suspected that the first one was Mark, and the other one, the smaller one was one of his charity friends. I grinned to myself, the pride for me intensified inside of me. I loved him with the burning passion. But as I got further, they got closer… And closer to one another.

By the time I was fifty feet away from them, I realized that his friend was actually a girl, a tall blonde who had her eyes on his lips, and in a terrible instant, they were kissing, and she wasn't simply kissing him. No, he was kissing her back, with a dark desire that I couldn't quite find myself comprehending. I was losing control, and they wouldn't stop, they simply wouldn't. They kept going… And going. They seemed to enjoy each other's lips like a drug, and I felt sick inside just watching them continue.

The kiss seemed to last for endless hours, and I just stood there, helplessly. I hadn't moved a single step since I saw them begin their charade. I just stood there, lifelessly. Tears poured softly down my cheeks, and my make up was running along with it. I looked like a mess, an ugly mess. I didn't make a sound, I just watched, I couldn't stop. It was like alcohol. It was killing me, but I didn't stop, I felt as though there was no choice. I had to watch what my destiny had thrown at me. It was now obvious that all I had known, and thought about my boyfriend was a big, red lie.

The moment they pulled away, Mark whipped his head around to face me, and his eyes widened. The girl didn't see, and she whispered "I love you" into his ear. But he ignored it. He stared right at me, and cried out, "CLAIRA! WAIT I- IT'S NOT-!" It was too late, I was gone into the dark night. Like a shadow that never existed I ran and ran. I ignored his screams and shouts in the background, and closed my eyes as they slowly began to fade away. I ran to my home. I ran past my house, and to the forest. I didn't ever want to come back. I soon found my way to a wide open farm field, empty and vast.

I collapsed onto the soft grass, and sobbed. The pain was so scarring, I couldn't control my hatred for Mark, I couldn't control the throbbing in my heart. But suddenly, the field lit up with a glowing blue light. When I looked up, I couldn't see. My eyes were blinded by the brightness. I covered my eyes with my arm, and squinted, but to no avail. There was no possible way I could see.

The situation stayed in its place until a dark figure in a cloak approached me, and the field lit only softly enough for me to see the figure. It was like the grim reaper, except I now I realized that the cloak was actually a dark brick red, with an orange-brown rope around the figures waste, and the same color trimming around the edges of the hood. The only skin that was visible was the tips of the figure's finger-tips. It was pale. It neared me a few more steps, and I shook with terror. "Please… Don't h… hurt me…" I pleaded, softly. The figure shook its head.

"That is not my objective today." _He _answered, in a shadowy monotone voice. It was a teenage boy, I could tell that much. He pulled his hood down, and then I could clearly see his face. "I'm Zuko." He announced, grimly.


	2. Calling Destiny

_**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**_

_**Warning: Contains mild spoilers.**_

_**Enjoy the chapter. (::**_

I gazed up at his face, which I now realized was as pale as his finger tips were. My lips parted slightly, I wasn't sure what to make of this unexpected visitor. I examined him, my female adolescent senses kicking in. He was tall, more than six feet tall, at least, and his skin was translucent almost, but flawless. His eyes were a sparkling gold in the faint blue light, and his hair was brownish-black, from what I could tell. He was, without a doubt, an attractive boy. The only thing that worried me about him was a reddish-brown scar around his right eye, making that one squint, and look like a glare, almost.

"Oh." I murmured, confused, and somewhat frightened. But seeing as the boy had promised not to lay a finger on me in a harmful way, I felt somewhat confident, or perhaps safe from any danger. He seemed to grin at me, in a devious way, but it swiftly disappeared before I could blink. Perhaps he had never smiled at all, and it was only my pure imagination that saw such an expression. "Well, I guess it's, interesting to meet you, Zuko." I began. I told him interesting, because he didn't look very kind. "Is that Asian, or something? Your name?" I asked, hesitantly.

Zuko looked at me with a confused glance. "Asian? What does that mean? What are you talking about?" He questioned, and by the tone of his vocals I could tell that he was now quite curious, and almost, a bit taken off guard by my asking such a thing. I raised an eyebrow, now this was something to think about. If he didn't know what Asia was, there were only two explanations. One, he was mentally confused or just plain stupid. This didn't seem likely, however. He seemed like the intellectual type, or at least the type that was street-smart.

It must've been that he was option numero dos, because this option was simply that he wasn't from this area. Or, this planet, if weirdest came to weirdest. I narrowed my eyes, slightly. "Asia, you know, on the other side of the Earth? It's a continent? Includes Japan, China, India, the Middle East, all those places…" I trailed off, hoping he would recall this region. But he just simply shook his head. Yes, yes he was definitely not from this area, I was absolutely positive.

"Don't mind me asking, but where exactly are you from?" I inquired, now quite interested by his backgrounds. His eyes widened slightly at me, and I could just tell by his expression that he surely didn't want me to know the answer. I was persistent, though, I wouldn't let go of the contemplation. He inhaled sharply, then. I wondered why this was, but he simply told me few words to explain his living conditions.

"It's hot there." He noted, and I nodded. I tried to act satisfied, because it was obvious that he wasn't about to give up any other useful information. I wanted to display that I got the hint, understood the idea. For an awkward moment, we both looked down at the mint-green colored grass, the moved gently in the wind. I wanted to know about Zuko. I wanted to know where he came from, who he was, if he had a family who loved and appreciated him. I wanted to know why he was so clueless, if he mentally confused, or if he was just bluffing to confused _me. _I wondered if he'd ever felt love, I wondered if he ever felt the rejection.

For the first time, in a long time, I felt sympathetic for someone, especially because of his scar. I was ever so curious how it had been plagued onto his innocent face. I felt sick inside, just thinking about it. I knew from just his expression that it didn't come by accident, no, it was given to him on purpose, and it was never forgotten. I knew that I couldn't ask him such a deep question, it would hurt him in some way, shape, or form. So I left it alone, and decided to request information about my future, and why he even stood before me in a such a way.

"So, what are you going to do with me? Why are you here?" I asked him, softly, my eyes becoming bigger, and shiner, as I thought about the possible answer. It could be disastrous, I prepared for such a thing. I'd been born prepared for it. Some how, I'd always known that in someone's life, there was story. And in every great story, there was something great, and something terrible. The good and bad of two everlastingly battling climaxes, pulling this way, and that. I feared that this was the Climax that would begin a better one, so I shook away my fear and stood stall and proud, in metaphor.

"Don't worry," He began, in an uninterested tone. He didn't even attempt or bother to make eye contact with me. Instead, he seemed to be staring into the complete nothingness but grass, and darkness beyond my shoulder. I wondered why he was doing this, this strange activity. "I'm not going to hurt you, but I have to warn you now, you won't see your home again. You're going to be coming to another place, where I live. I can't tell you why yet." He continued on, after this. My eyes began to tear up. My family, my world, it would all be ripped away from me in a few minutes time. I felt sickly.

"Can I at least have a moment to call my mom, and just say hi, along with my dad, my little sister, my grand mother, and my best friend Aria?" I pleaded with him. He raised an eyebrow, seeming to be a bit confused, although from my point of view there was absolutely no confusion involved. He just nodded his head, and began to speak some incredibly peculiar words.

"You can, but I don't think they can hear you from where we're standing." He told me, a bit amused. I almost burst out laughing. Now, this was too funny. It was obvious that someone was fooling me, or something. I was being punked, right? I looked around, giggling, maybe for a camera. I couldn't find one, but I hadn't lost hope. I gazed back up at Zuko, and frowned at his expression. He was dead serious, it wasn't a joke, I could tell.

"You're serious?" I asked, still trying to hold back laughter. Wherever he was from, I supposed that they didn't have the same technology we had here. I pulled my red Samsung Rouge out of my pocket, and showed him. He looked awed. "You see," I began, sliding my phone open and closed. "This is a cell phone, it's technology. And what we do with it, is we dial someone else's number, for their phone, and we can call them, using waves of some sort. Let me demonstrate." I smirked. I dialed my mother's phone, and put it on speaker. I motioned for him to be quiet.

My mother answered in her pretty little voice. "Hello? Claira? Where are you?" She asked, frantically. She sounded quite worried, and I guessed the reason of this was because I had been gone for more than six hours, when I promised to be back in three. I wondered what to say. I turned to Zuko, whose mouth was suspended wide open. I almost snickered, but I didn't, simply because my mother was listening.

"I just wanted to say I'm sleeping over a friend's house." I lied. "So, I'm not coming home. Oh, and I'm just saying hi, too." I told her, softly. I felt sick for lying to her, and I tried to hold back the tears as long as I possibly could. I didn't want her to be anxious, hearing my soft whimpers.

"Alright, well have fun. I love you." I could hear the smile in her voice, and it made me want to murder myself, and my existence.

"I love you, bye." I whispered, for the last time. Zuko had the same expression on as I called all my other relatives, just to simply say hi, or, only in my knowledge, a simple goodbye, because I'd most likely never see them again. I decided to finally call my best friend. We'd met in kindergarten, when we were in the same daisy troop. Through the years, we attended school together, and were in some of the same classes. Now, nothing had changed. I would miss her terribly, but things were going to change. I had to go along with them, or I would be stuck in the terror of a dark past. So I simply dialed the last number.

"Claira!" She chimed, in a giggly loud obnoxious Aria voice. "What's up? Where are you?" Her happy etiquette made me want to go and hug her.

"I'm at…" I hesitated, slowly. "The, uh, mall, with this… guy… named…" Zuko motioned to me that he had no idea what names sounded like in my world. Then it came to me. "Zach. Yeah, and so- Wait, what's that?" I listened intently, as Zuko watched, with an amused look plastered on his face. "He's like… Hmm…" I glanced over at Zuko and took in his appearance. "Definitely an 8.…" She asked me why. "Well, he's fine, except for this scar on his eye… Well, I guess it is kind of hot. Okay, 9. 9.5?" Zuko glared at me until I hung up.

"Ready?" He growled, crossly. I smirked a little, but nodded out of the slightest movement, and stood up. I had always known that something great would happen, and that something that involved me would change the world, or somebody's world. I'd always imagined myself not belonging in this world. I daydreamed every moment, and the sound of music made me think and dream. I was different than others, that was simply it. My heart danced furiously incased inside my chest, my breath propelling it up and down. I was terrified, but I was ready.

For a short moment, I felt a flashback, of me looking in the mirror, wondering what my destiny in the world was. A strange overwhelming feeling occurred to me, this was my destiny. I wasn't sure exactly what it even was, or what I was to do, but I knew at that moment that my purpose in life was to go with Zuko, and do something amazing. I was born for it, I felt the pride in it. This was mine, my victory. I was not afraid. I stood with my back to this world, and my heart to wherever I was headed. I grinned, and Zuko suddenly took out a small crystal. It lit up, and suddenly exploded into the same blinding light. I closed my eyes, and soon, I couldn't detect the scent of the green grass from the field, or the polluted air from the cities nearby. In a whoosh of air, new scents returned. It was all fresh, and earthy. Different sounds filled my ears.

"Where am I?" I whispered, as I opened my eyes. It was still nighttime, but I could tell that I was in a field, or a landscape of some sort. I squinted more to realize it was some sort of clearing, with trees on all sides. I gazed into the skies, and billions of stars glittered. They orbited an incredibly big and bright moon, full of light. I'd never seen such a sight before in my entire life. I looked around for Zuko, and turned to see him looking at me. His face had no emotion at all.

"Where am I?" I asked, this time loud enough for him to hear. Well, it had been directed at him in the first place.

"Somewhere." He answered, flatly. And with those simple words, he was off, walking into the forest. I ran after him, not wanting to be left behind in such an unfamiliar world. I gazed around me, where was I truly?


	3. Different

_**Disclaimer: Unfortunately, I do not own Avatar: The Last Airbender.**_

_**Warning: May contain mild spoilers.**_

_**Warning2: May contain stereotypical wordings which in no way reflect me as a writer/author.**_

_**Warning3: So many warnings can cause internal bleeding. O_O**_

_**Warning4: Language! :O**_

_**Rated T for language and lingo.**_

_**Enjoy the chapter. (::**_

There I was, standing in the midst of a lush green forest, so unfamiliar yet similar to places I'd seen before. Geography like this didn't exist, I was absolutely positive. As I grasped at my confusing surrounding, Zuko continued to advance into the trees and shrubs. I eagerly followed after him. With every step I took, it seemed that he was going farther away from me. Frustration arising in my nervous vocals, I called out his name. I called out "Zuko!" once, twice, and three times, and yet I received no response. I ran in the direction that I had once spotted him walking, and my heart began to pump. Was it possible that in such a new world I was already so lost… literally?

Now that we've reached a logical stopping point in my epic tale of good versus evil, (I'm aware that a plotline truly isn't existent at all at the moment, bear with me my readers.), I'm going to tell you a totally insignificant part I accidentally left out of the text… My apologies for this. However, there is no time for apologies, is there? I must fill in the missing chapters! I must fulfill the needs of my much appreciated fan base! The story absolutely _must _go on, with the utmost sincere regards of how it is received. Furthermore, I will admit that I sort of left out a vital place in our story that rather creates my whole character image as a person and or back-story, emotions, etc. etc.

You must be asking, 'Oh Claira, sweet, beautiful Claira, how would you do such a thing? Why would you hide the desperate struggles of your lifetime from the grieving media?' Well, my dearest, there is always a perfectly logistic reason for why I would participate in such a foul act. Excu- Reason Numero Uno: I didn't really contemplate the fact that it might have actually been rather important to the story's well being and interest to the reader at heart. Reason Number Two: I'm afraid to admit that I was quite hesitant on how I felt you would… Let us say, experience the story? I am aware that many of you are incredibly judgmental when scanning a writing piece for its qualities, so I couldn't help but worry that you would launch to the amazingly incorrect conclusion of me being a slut. The honorable truth? I am one, but just not that kind. I'm the nice kind, the manipulative, loving, cute sort. (If there truly is a thing.)

Let us return to the back-story of what I was going to tell you. You see, the way I've previously described some things are a tad inaccurate. For example, the blonde hair of my sister. Yes, she has gorgeous blonde hair with natural highlights and excellent texture. However, I was lying about the idea of it, for my hair is just as breath-taking if not more, I do add. My mistake, but there is never too much room for a dramatizing affect to capture readers' interests. By the way, my long golden locks go stunningly with my big, bright blue eyes. I'm beautiful, I'm not going to fib to you about this one. I am completely knowledgeable of those fake stories you might read about "She was oh so ugly and nobody loved her." You fall for that sort of literature like your pudding in its hands, do you not? Be honest, we all do. It's the nature of life, advertising, financial aid. I'm going to let you be informed for just this once- It's all completely fake. Are you aware of the slang for this sort of thing? It's usually titled a "Hollywood Sob Story." (HSS for short.) Famous actors and actresses use it all the time.

Because everyone knows that someone is so down to Earth when a puppy died when they were a mere child. How awful! (No, it really isn't. Sarcasm. Take notice- Someone losing a puppy does not make them a perfect Samaritan with a difficult past.)

On with the topic we are discussing, then. This little detail wasn't the only thing I had left out of the original few chapters. I was never the most unpopular girl in my educational district. Alas, I was rather important on the scale of popularity. Although not super known, I was known just enough to make it around the school with appreciation and respect to some degree. This was just the way I enjoyed it, perfectly so with no interruptions. I was perfect. My grades were perfect, I was gorgeous, and I was incredibly kind. I tucked my flaws away into the deepest and darkness places in my mind, places where nobody could possibly recover them and know of there very existence. And If such a place truly is so, does that mean that someone can simply hide perfections and seem amazing to all viewers? On the contrary, someone could see through my façade.

His name was Mark. He was handsome, funny, and an incredible boyfriend. It went like _that. _But then, as time went on, it ended like _this. _This is where that humongous lie I told you enters its way into my story.

After I saw them suck each other's faces for ten minutes or so, I ran like I previously stated. I ran, blah, blah, blah… Instead of going to the field, however, I ended up home. My mother was out working again, as she always was. My father didn't have time for me, he never spoke. We were struggling through this economic depression, as much as it didn't seem. Growing up, I had always been upper middle class, but suddenly everything was changing in such an abrupt manner. Never had I realized that we would fall apart at once point or another, away from each other. Away from something that had once been such an important part of my life. Now it seemed as though it was just a meaningless echo out on an empty corner street. Sick, with no definite purpose rather than to humbly exist. Existence is a strange concept.

Eventually, upon sitting softly and quietly in my bedroom that evening, I began to feel unpleasant. I could identify it as a terrible emotion of rage, jealously, and inferiority. I felt as though I wasn't as evident towards the idea of perfection than I had hoped, than I had been fooled to believe I was. Such an idea, of course, was the truth. However, I misinterpreted it in a way that created a treacherous view of myself. T'was an unrealistic view at that, yet I couldn't sense the false in the confusion of it all. I could only let my pupils pin-point what I contemplated they had the capability to see- I told myself a lie.

Woman can never truly hold trust within themselves, it's a known fact. You've felt it before as a female, can it hold just to a male? Certainly not. Biology is a selfish monster, it holds no boundaries for the less fortunate, it holds every boundary for least fortunate. And yet, it still proposes to remain simple. It relates to karma: A bitch who steals the hearts of all men and women, for past actions. Relying on the past is something it withers its judgment alike, and so forth. It's the believed that so much can snap backwards, darken the curse in such a manner that hope can cease to exist.

This is my story. It happened so quickly it was not comprehendible by normalcy. However, I was not normal. And so, the following day, I arrived to school in brand new beauty, a beauty that could turn men to stone. (Metaphorically, of course.) I was someone new, someone higher than all the others. My grades began to fall steadily, yet I felt no consistent fear. All that seemed to have importance was my imagine, and my reputation. I became the leader, simply to have the satisfaction of others following me. Those who ruled before me bowed their heads as I was a great honor to bow to. I strode through the halls as they were my own, my possessions. Every single student belonged to me- I was reigning victorious.

This existed as so for a lengthening time, now it being almost the time of merriness. And suddenly, I broke down. I had already lost my goodness, my purity. I was the queen, a terrible person. I traded all my old friendships based off trust into fear driven slavery, a form of popularity influenced sociality. It hurt me, the pain was my drug. I sobbed, on the ground, and I ran, this time to the field, and suddenly, there he was, Zuko. I craved starting over, I revealed my true self to him, the innocence I once was.

Back to the present, I followed Zuko, although it felt as though I was following something that wasn't there. He was distant, and he simply was silent. This was my conclusion, I feared losing him and being stranded forever inside the dark wood, yet I feared following him. He didn't seem to me like the type that desired to be followed. I called out his name once more- There was no reply. I sped my pace, jogging ahead, and yet it was obvious to me that I lone in the forest. I cried out in terror and fright, and to no avail, I was done for. But I'd been through the toughest of times, and my sobs were short lived. I began to trudge ahead in the darkness, before I eventually found a direction to trust.

With eventual success, I realized that I had just been following Zuko the entire time. As light entered my eyes, Zuko leaned softly against a tree, his hood still on. A sigh of relief flooded through me, and he just smirked a smile that I couldn't comprehend. He spoke no words to me as we made our way clearing through wood, this time with me by his side. I couldn't risk going through my personal navigational issues once more. The air was warm, soft against my skin. In the middle of December, I pondered whether this was a dream or a nightmare.

It was odd to me, being in an unpleasing place with a stranger that offered no direction. This world was nothing like my own, it was dark and silent and frightening. I could view every single star in the sky, all the familiar constellations. It was obvious to me now that electricity was not entirely evident in this world, that they had not discovered what we had. There were behind my universe. The creepiest part, however, was that as I stared into the glowing hue of the moon, something that I'd imagined would make me feel familiar, was so such thing. In fact, I could swear to depict a woman's face in its grin- The man on the moon was a fault in this dimension.

Suddenly, sounds shot from their values in the distance- We were arriving. I wasn't quite positive _where, _but I could feel our journey coming to a halt. Voices sounded in the air, and Zuko glanced slightly towards my way. I felt my stomach do a summersault for no apparent reason. What was it about this dark boy that caused me to develop anxiety like this? I figured that it was simply the fact he was incredibly freaky looking. We came to a village, and swiftly, before I could walk any farther, Zuko threw his arm in front of me. He clearly didn't appreciate the public having the ability to find my existence.

"Stay here," he pleaded with me, almost in a sinister yet caring way. It gave me chills, and so I softly nodded in response. He slipped away into the darkness, and my heart pounded in my chest. Zuko was a strong man- not a boy, I could notice this. It shook me to see seventeen year-olds like him so mature. The males at this exact age were boys, not men. I was unused to the feeling. Before I could exhale, a cloak was wrapped around my shoulders and a hood was lifted over my head. "Shh." I heard him whisper, and we silently walked into the darkness of the village. Like his name, it all seemed so… so, _Asian_ themed. The décor of the houses reminded me of Japanese tea shops, and the writing were all either Japanese of Chinese. Statues and depictions that hung for décor were painted in a form that was certainly not American. And yet, Zuko had an abundance of American accent and slang.

We passed by homes of elders and children all together, and I could see through several windows the Asian-styled furnishings and carpentry. Several children slept soundly in their beds, they did not look like Asians. In fact, only some did. Others, like Zuko, were pure American faces. I had nothing against Asia, or Asians. In fact, I was ever so fascinated with their ways of life. However, I could have never expected them to be so connected to another world. There were no blondes, and no pure red-heads. Freckles didn't exist on their faces, and the darkest their skin color got was to a Latin-American bronze. We came to the porch of a home just like all the others, except slightly larger. Its roof had the kind of circular shingles you would find in china, with several layers. It's windows and doors were of black frames. They were clear enough to show light and shadow from inside, yet you could not depict any details. It was something I'd seen in a Hibachi restaurant as a child.

On the sides of the doors, there were Japanese letters inscribed. I could not identify the meaning, but I was sure they were Japanese. I pointed to them in curiosity.

"Is this Japanese? What does it mean?" I pondered, and Zuko lifted one brow in my direction. He seemed confused with my terminology. I had forgotten that their world was not our world. He most likely had no absolute recollection of what Japan even was, much less the coding 'Japanese'.

"'Japanese' is not a familiar term for me- My apologies. However, I can tell you the meaning." His finger trailed over the letters, which went downward. "The spirit is as true as the body or mind. We cannot understand it, yet it understands us." He whispered, almost as though it meant something incredibly important to him. I nodded in comprehension.

"Is that like, some kind of family crest motto or whatever?" I asked, my curiously reigning on. He grinned, and shook his head. What, no Shakespearian times for these people? Had they not reached the time of great literature and the plagues? I supposed not.

"No," He chuckled, smiling slightly from under the shadow of his hood. This was the first time in the few hours we'd known each other that he had even shown the smallest bit of happiness. "It's a prayer to the spirits, blessing the family inside for the centuries." He told me, and I almost burst out laughing. I held back the laughter, and attempted to act serious. It wasn't that I wanted to offensive, it was simply that the culture that I had grown up into hadn't supported such an idea since ancient times.

"What do you find humorous?" He whispered, clearly not offended, yet curious. His attitude was strange, almost as though he wasn't paying attention to me, but something beyond me. Or perhaps, above me. Although his eyes stared directly into mine, I knew the truth was that he could not see me, but something else. He was looking at something that I couldn't provide, something that did not complete my being. I shrugged, softly.

"It's a strange idea, you know, spirits and all in my world. I mean, everything about this- your place is sort of weird to me," I looked into the sky, and then back to my feet. "It's, well, it hasn't really been an idea since ancient times. We don't really believe in spirits that much, and we have a bit more… um, technology. And we're a little bit more advanced." I told him, shyly. He quite easily nodded, and turned his attention back to the Japanese styled door.

Knocking on the white glass, the door slid open, and a figure of whom I did not recognize took us in. To Zuko, she smiled, almost flirtatious. And then, her gaze followed to mine. I could sense she was clearly uninterested in who I was, by her bored expression. The girl wore long dark Asian styled clothes, a dress with a few ropes or belts it seemed around it. Her hair felt to her elbows in long, black locks, straight as pin. It was luscious and it was shining in the moonlight. Part of it on each side was pulled into two side buns, and she had an Asian outlook. Her eyes were small, with long and dark edges, and her skin was pale and flawless.

"Hello, Mai." Zuko solemnly grinned, and they leaned towards each other. Typical, even boys in this universe went for the quiet and to be seen-not-heard ones. It aggravated me so. I closed my eyes for the meeting of the lips, and when they didn't let go, I cleared my throat in a rude yet satisfying way.

"Sorry to interrupt your, err, episode, but I thought we were here for a reason… Zuko?" I quizzed, leaning against the door frame with my arms crossed. Mai turned from her boyfriend, finally, and faced me. Her eyes made their way from my head to my toes, in a strange and creepy way. Not like a rapist or a hungry teenage boy would, but more in a suspicious and silent way. She took me in for a long time, before deciding to speak.

"What is your name?" She finally spoke, in a rather deep but captivating voice. It was attractive to listen to, sweet to the ear. It was rather obvious that this was one of the many traits. I almost felt envious, and then I remembered something: I didn't want to have absolutely no personality like she did. I almost giggled to myself at the thought. This woman was not my favorite of the many I would meet along the way.

"Claira," I answered in the purest, most casual tone possible for me to use. "I'm seventeen years old, and I'm from New Jersey." I smirked, ready for her to throw more questions. I _wanted _to show who I was. I craved the response, the emotion involved.

"Ah," She muttered, obviously unbothered- Or so her appearance said. "Why is your hair yellow? What happened to it?" She inquired, and I felt myself chuckling silently. I grinned at her for a short moment, until I looked at my hair, and slowly began my highly anticipated answer.

"My hair is _not _yellow, it's a color we call 'blonde.' A lot of girls in my universe have it, and blonde hair and blue eyes are common together." I educated her in the ways. She nodded, and Zuko nodded. Now, we were even it seemed. "Where will I sleep tonight?" I asked Zuko, and he froze. I wondered if he had ever considered this point. Mai thought too, it seemed.

"She can sleep in my room, I suppose." Mai reasoned, and for a moment, I felt a sense of appreciation towards her. A smile shown lightly upon my lips, in grateful manners. Zuko everlastingly appeared perplexed, obviously not having the idea of where Mai herself would spend the night. I also felt rather concerned, and the slightest guilty, knowing now that I had taken the room away from Mai. She shook her head at my expression. "I can sleep with you tonight, right Zuko?" She pleaded. He reluctantly agreed.

Minutes later, I was laying in the strange feather bed, which was unusually low to the ground. But the thought didn't last long, for soon sleep engulfed me into the darkness.


End file.
